by Lou Collinsin NewsComments Off on Israel issues its own Gaza war report, pre-empting U.N. inquiry

Israel issued a report on Sunday arguing its 2014 Gaza offensive was lawful, a move aimed at pre-empting the release of findings of a U.N. war crimes investigation that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scorned as a waste of time.

The 277-page report, which cited Israel’s internal probes and statements from Western leaders backing its right to self-defence, suggested the Netanyahu government hoped to defuse criticism from the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC) inquiry in advance.

Deeming the HRC biased, Israel boycotted its investigators as it did those from the council who looked into its 2008-09 Gaza offensive. That HRC inquiry accused Israel of war crimes.

Launched last July after a surge of cross-border rocket fire by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, Israel’s 50 days of shelling, air strikes and ground incursions in the congested enclave killed more than 2,256 Palestinians, including 1,563 civilians, a U.N. report said in March.

by Lou Collinsin NewsComments Off on Will Iraq War report EVER be published? Row erupts as Chilcot Inquiry is delayed for another year

The Chilcot Report into the Iraq War will not be published for at least another year, it emerged today sparking a fresh row about whether it will ever be finished.

Ministers today faced calls for an urgent statement to Parliament on the future of the inquiry, as some urged David Cameron to pull the plug.

By the end of this year the inquiry will have lasted for longer than British combat troops were fighting in Iraq.

The inquiry headed by Sir John Chilcot has already lasted six years and cost £10million.

But a source close to the inquiry told the Independent on Sunday it is ‘unlikely to be published for another year at least’.

In January, Sir John wrote to Mr Cameron insisting ‘very substantial progress’ had been made in completing his report but admitting that it will not be possible to publish his report ahead of the general election in May.

by Lou Collinsin NewsComments Off on 7 Key Events That Are Going To Happen By The End Of September

Is something really big about to happen? For months, people have been pointing to the second half of this year for various reasons. For some, the major concern is Jade Helm and the unprecedented movement of military vehicles and equipment that we have been witnessing all over the nation. For others, the upcoming fourth blood moon and the end of the Shemitah cycle are extremely significant events. Yet others are most concerned about political developments in Washington D.C. and at the United Nations.

To me, it does seem rather remarkable that we are seeing such a confluence of economic, political and spiritual events coming together during the second half of 2015. So is all of this leading up to something? Is our world about to change in a fundamental way? Only time will tell. The following are 7 key events that are going to happen by the end of September…